Soderking, now that Robin lost to Lopez, how does he need to perform in his next tournaments to get into the Masters?

Well, Roddick and Davydenko have probably wrapped up #6 and #7. So Robin is fighting with Gonzalez, Verdasco and Tsonga for #8. That is going to be tough. He is going to have perform really well in Paris. He might be tired for Stockholm, but he has to play that one because it is home. One HUGE advantage Robin has is that his best surface/condition is Indoor Carpet and Indoor Hard Courts. He is like Nalby, and in fact, last year Nalby and Sod had an epic Davis Cup match as well as a great Finals match in Stockholm. Nalby won, but I admired Robin's play in that match. I was rooting against him as Nalby is probably always #1, but that match definitely has contributed to my respect for his game that flowered this year. I own the tape of that final and have watched it many times. Robin is incredibly tough indoors and temperate conditions. Nalby literally cried when he finally beat Robin in 5 sets in Davis Cup match last year, because Robin was so tough. So via Nalby, much of my respect for Robin's game has come.

So if Robin takes Stockholm, he should have #8 position in ATP WTFs entering Paris, and then he needs to secure it by doing better than Verdasco, Tsonga and Gonzalez.

One other obvious scenario for Robin to make the WTF in London. Players have been getting injured right and left. If Robin finishes ranked 9th (probably the most likely scenario) and one of the top 8 pulls out due to injury, he will get the invitation. He would also get an invitation to go even if all 8 players do accept their invitations as the first alternate. The first alternate at the WTF has gotten a chance to play in quite a few of the past WTFs, with one of the players pulling out after the first round robin match, so this would be an honor and a great opportunity to play regardless.

Is it not the case this year (and in my opinion, for the future as well); for the ATP to invite 8 alternates; in case the top 8 burn-out at the Barclays B-B-Q??? U think 'Psycho' Stepanek is preparing on the sly for a trip to the Old Country?? Wouldn't it be wonderful if Nalby returned in time to win the YEC a la 2005!

It seems qualifying won't be easy. But as you said, indoor courts are probably his strongest surface (my first memory of Söderling was a final against Malisse - can't remember what year it was -, and I was really impressed), while the other contenders favour somewhat slower courts. And if he's playing well he can beat any of them. It'll be an exiting two weeks!

Hi Belgian Miss,

Yes, and the China Open and Shanghai we're both outdoors too. Robin still hasn't had a chance to play on his best surface under his best conditions. I must say that I am NOT a fan of the new schedule that takes out most of the indoor season, because that is part of tennis too. Robin has stated in interviews that because the weather in Sweden is so snowy and cold most of the time, he spent about 70% of his time learning how to play the game indoors, and this accounts for the foundation of his game. It also explains why all of his titles, up until this year, we're indoor titles.

Nalbandian excels indoors for several reasons. If you are a big fan of Nalby and have watched him play over the years, a couple of things about him stick out. Even when he was a fresh face and was skinny and a little gangly looking, he always looked miserable in hot conditions. His shirt would be soaked with sweat in Australia or the U.S. Open after about half a set and it was clear his opponent had the advantage of being more adaptable to being in hot weather. To be fair, they should have several Masters indoors like they have done in the past (it used to be Madrid and Paris) along with the indoor finals. Robin only gets the Paris Masters this year. I've been wondering how he would have done if they had Madrid indoors and Paris like they did last year. That would have more suitable to his biggest strength.

Also, as you mentioned, indoor carpet is the fastest surface, and Robin excels in environments where his aggressive, "winner style" tennis is brought to the fore. Nalby did great on this surface for the same reason. Nalby is an aggressive player who like to set up his winners the way a chess player plays chess. I still think one of the most fascinating match-ups I've seen was watching Nalby play Andy Murray last year, as both players use their minds and play tennis like chess. Robin is similar to Nalby and Andy in this way, and the indoor carpet surface allows him to use his point construction to set up a winner as opposed to just hitting the ball until an appropriate time comes to put the ball away or hit a shot that is difficult to return producing an unforced or forced error from his opponent. I like watching players like Nalby, Murray or Sod play on this surface almost more than any other tennis, because you really get to see the intelligent players get to use their superior minds and point construction to their advantage. So I lament the loss of Madrid, but am very optimistic with the conditions we do get for the rest of the year, Robin will excel and get his chance in the WTF.

« Last Edit: October 20, 2009, 09:46:33 PM by Soderking »

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Soderking, now that Robin lost to Lopez, how does he need to perform in his next tournaments to get into the Masters?

Well, Roddick and Davydenko have probably wrapped up #6 and #7. So Robin is fighting with Gonzalez, Verdasco and Tsonga for #8. That is going to be tough. He is going to have perform really well in Paris. He might be tired for Stockholm, but he has to play that one because it is home. One HUGE advantage Robin has is that his best surface/condition is Indoor Carpet and Indoor Hard Courts. He is like Nalby, and in fact, last year Nalby and Sod had an epic Davis Cup match as well as a great Finals match in Stockholm. Nalby won, but I admired Robin's play in that match. I was rooting against him as Nalby is probably always #1, but that match definitely has contributed to my respect for his game that flowered this year. I own the tape of that final and have watched it many times. Robin is incredibly tough indoors and temperate conditions. Nalby literally cried when he finally beat Robin in 5 sets in Davis Cup match last year, because Robin was so tough. So via Nalby, much of my respect for Robin's game has come.

So if Robin takes Stockholm, he should have #8 position in ATP WTFs entering Paris, and then he needs to secure it by doing better than Verdasco, Tsonga and Gonzalez.

One other obvious scenario for Robin to make the WTF in London. Players have been getting injured right and left. If Robin finishes ranked 9th (probably the most likely scenario) and one of the top 8 pulls out due to injury, he will get the invitation. He would also get an invitation to go even if all 8 players do accept their invitations as the first alternate. The first alternate at the WTF has gotten a chance to play in quite a few of the past WTFs, with one of the players pulling out after the first round robin match, so this would be an honor and a great opportunity to play regardless.

Is it not the case this year (and in my opinion, for the future as well); for the ATP to invite 8 alternates; in case the top 8 burn-out at the Barclays B-B-Q??? U think 'Psycho' Stepanek is preparing on the sly for a trip to the Old Country?? Wouldn't it be wonderful if Nalby returned in time to win the YEC a la 2005!

Hi Propstoart,

Hey, you're talking to a Nalbandian fan here. I have many rich years of experience seeing how the WTF Finals alternates work.

From my memory and experience, they invite 2 alternates to compete. Stepanek got to play in 2008 because the ranked players in front of him declined the invitation to come as an alternate. In 2007, I remember Nalby ended the year ranked 9th due to his winning the Paris and Madrid Master Series indoor events. He declined his invitation to be an alternate, but I don't think it would have mattered that year because the top 8 we're all injury free. But he did play as an alternate to Andy Roddick in 2005 as the 9th ranked player, and won the Shanghai Masters over Roger Federer in one of my favorite matches of all time. I think this is the only time the alternate has won the WTF, but obviously it shows how likely they are apt to get a chance to play. But, no, I don't think they invite more than two. I guess they would end up giving players matches due to retirement if more than 3 players pulled out injured. Robin has made it clear in interviews that he wants to go to the WTF, and that it is important to him, so I think he will accept an invitation as an alternate should it come down to that. He has worked very hard this year to become one of the elite, especially since May. He began the year with a 9-10 record, and has gone 33-8 since then.

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Robin Söderling can start making his move this week for a place in the ATP season final with a title at his home Stockholm Open. The Swedish top seed starts with lucky loser Giovanni Lapentti in the first round.

French Open finalist Söderling, who lost in Paris, London and New York to Roger Federer, stands ninth in the race for one of the last three spots in the eight-man wrapup in London next month.

He is chasing Spain's Fernando Verdasco, who is taking the next fortnight away from competition, training in Las Vegas with Gil Reyes, former fitness guru to Andre Agassi.

Söderling needs a title to stay in the chase, though he cannot change places under any scenario this week according to ATP calculations. "I know that if I play well, I have a chance, but this tournament won't decide who's going to play in London.

"There's still a lot of tennis to be played this year and I will have to do well."

The points race will end as usual at the Paris Masters starting November 9, where the last positions will be decided.

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That is a massive improvement in win-loss record from Robin. If he can win a title or two, his stock will rise higher. Kolya raised his game to beat Djokovic and Nadal on consecutive days. It is Soderling's to do now.

That is a massive improvement in win-loss record from Robin. If he can win a title or two, his stock will rise higher. Kolya raised his game to beat Djokovic and Nadal on consecutive days. It is Soderling's to do now.

Yes, Verdasco is the target ahead of him, and he is only ahead by less than several hundred points. The problem is that Robin won Lyon indoors last year (250 pts) and that is falling off the ranking boards this week. So he has to win to be able to maintain that small gap. Then he has to do better than Verdasco in Paris. Verdasco is training with Agassi's old trainer in Vegas so he means business. Obviously, Robin means business too.

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STOCKHOLM, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Top seed Robin Soderling got off to a perfect start in front of his Swedish fans on Wednesday when he outclassed Ecuador's Giovanni Lapentti 6-3 6-0.

In a packed Royal Tennis Hall, the 25-year-old dominated with his heavy groundstrokes against Lapentti, who had entered the draw as a lucky loser.

"He served well in the beginning but the longer the match went on the more I got into it," said the French Open finalist, who only lost seven points in his serve during the match.

"It's always fun with a packed centre court during an evening match," added Soderling, who last cracked the top 10 in the ATP rankings for the first time.

Soderling broke Lapentti thanks to a missed backhand by the Ecuadorian in the fourth game and then comfortably held serve to seal the opening set 6-3. Lapentti crumbled under the Swede's pressure in the second set and failed to win another game.

Soderling, runner-up here in 2003 and 2008, has now set his sights on winning his home tournament.

"Of course I'm the favourite now," said Soderling. "I know that when I play well, I'm hard to beat. But I still have to go out there and play well during these matches."

Photos of Robin from First Round Victory Over Lapentti at Stockholm Open

Sweden's Robin Soderling plays a backhand during his match against Ecuador's Giovanni Lapenti in Stockholm on October 21, 2009, on the third day of Tennis Stockholm Open. AFP PHOTO OLIVIER MORIN (Photo credit should read OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Images)

Sweden's Robin Soderling returns a ball during his match against Ecuador's Giovanni Lapenti in Stockholm on October 21, 2009, on the third day of Tennis Stockholm Open. AFP PHOTO OLIVIER MORIN (Photo credit should read OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Images)

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Top seed Robin Soderling grabbed another easy win in front of his home crowd on Thursday to reach the Stockholm Open quarter-finals with a 6-1 6-3 victory over Italian Andreas Seppi.

The Swedish world number 10, who demolished Ecuadorian Giovanni Lapentti in his opening match, faces Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the last eight where no other seeds remain.

The top-seeded world number ten, who stands ninth in the race for a spot in November's eight-man, season-ending tournament in London, came back from an early break down in the second set.

His success was in sharp contrast to German second seed Tommy Haas, who fell victim to flu, handing Finn Jarkko Nieminen a place in the last eight.

Soderling had a few problems against Seppi, failing on two set points in the opener and then forced to come back after trailing 3-1 in the second set.

The Swedish number one is trying to become the first home player since Mats Wilander in 1983 to win both Swedish ATP events in the same season, Bastad in the summer and Stockholm.

"It's great to play in front of a full house," he said. "I'm the favourite and I have to go out and win the matches. Everyone is trying to beat me. I'm glad I came through."

Soderling, who is chasing a spot in the season-ending Masters Cup in London, outclassed Seppi in the opening set but then suffered a lapse of concentration as he allowed the Italian to take a 3-0 lead in the second.

But the hard-hitting Soderling regained his composure and took all six of the ensuing games to clinch the match, continuing his bid for a Swedish double.

The 25-year-old could become the first player since his countryman Mats Wilander in 1983 to take both Swedish ATP events in one year, having won on clay in Bastad in July.

Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus showed continuing good form during his 6-2 6-2 win over American doubles specialist Robert Kendrick.

Former top 10 player Baghdatis, who has dropped to 66th in the world, next faces Arnaud Clement after the Frenchman saved a match point to beat German Michael Berrer 3-6 7-6 6-1.

(Reporting by Oliver Grassman; Editing by Alison Wildey)

« Last Edit: October 22, 2009, 05:27:37 PM by Soderking »

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Photos from Robin's 6-1, 6-3 Second Round Victory Over Andreas Seppi at Stockholm Open

Sweden's Robin Soderling gestures during his match against Italy's Andreas Seppi in Stockholm on October 22, 2009, on the 4th day of the Stockholm Tennis Open. Soderling won 6-1, 6-3. AFP PHOTO/OLIVIER MORIN (Photo credit should read OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Images)

Sweden's Robin Soderling plays a backhand during his match against Italy's Andreas Seppi in Stockholm on October 22, 2009, on the 4th day of the Stockholm Tennis Open. Soderling won 6-1, 6-3. AFP PHOTO/OLIVIER MORIN (Photo credit should read OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Images)

A spectator takes a photo with his iphone of Sweden's Robin Soderling playing against Italia's Andreas Seppi in Stockholm, on October 22th, 2009, at the fourth day of Tennis Stockholm Open. Soderling won 6/1, 6/3 . AFP PHOTO OLIVIER MORIN (Photo credit should read OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Images)

Sweden's Robin Soderling gestures during his match against Italy's Andreas Seppi in Stockholm on October 22, 2009, on the 4th day of the Stockholm Tennis Open. Soderling won 6-1, 6-3. AFP PHOTO/OLIVIER MORIN (Photo credit should read OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Images)

Sweden's Robin Soderling plays a backhand during his match against Italia's Andreas Seppi in Stockholm, on October 22, 2009, on the fourth day of Tennis Stockholm Open. Soderling won 6/1, 6/3 AFP PHOTO OLIVIER MORIN (Photo credit should read OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Images)

Sweden's Robin Soderling plays a forehand during his match against Italia's Andreas Seppi in Stockholm, on October 22, 2009, at the fourth day of Tennis Stockholm Open. Soderling won 6/1, 6/3. AFP PHOTO OLIVIER MORIN (Photo credit should read OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Images)

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Better late than never... I was searching for Robin's remaining tournament schedule to see how he intends to get to London and ran across this interview from Beijing after he defeated Tsonga. I was really looking hard for something like this at the time too, and was frustrated by their lack of interview transcripts. Anyway, the interview is too good not to post it. This is from October 15, 2009 after Robin defeated Tsonga:An interview with:ROBIN SODERLING 2009-10-15 23:26

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. First of all, it was a big match for you. Can you talk about that in regards to points for London and you two being so close?

ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, well, I try not to think about it too much, because it only makes me nervous, so I try to ?? I try to focus on every match instead and hopefully do well in every match.

I know that if I play well, I have a chance, but this tournament won't decide who's going to play in London. I mean, there's still a lot of tennis to be played this year, and there's a couple of big tournaments coming up. So I have to keep on doing well the rest of the year.

Q. This point, this moment in the first set where there is a controversial 30?All, 40?30 or 30?40, how did you live that, and how did you see that point?

ROBIN SODERLING: Well, at first I thought the umpire was counting wrong, because I was sure it was a break. So I went to the umpire to tell him, no, it's wrong, it's a break, but what I didn't know was that the umpire called his passing shot out at 30?All, which I didn't hear, which he didn't hear.

So there's not much I can do. I was happy about it, but I wish the umpire would have called it a little bit louder so everybody could hear it.

Q. The first time you played in Shanghai was actually in 2003. You actually play very good in the semifinal.

ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, it's a long time ago. Time goes fast.

Q. Did you remember the time, six years ago? And I remember six years ago you come here like were No. 100. Now you are almost No. 10. So can you talk about your involvement and development as a player? Also, tournament in Shanghai.

ROBIN SODERLING: It's going in the right way, at least, if you look at the rankings.

No, I remember I think Shanghai was actually the first ?? I think it was the first ATP tournament I was in without the wildcard. I played in Stockholm and in Bastad at home in Sweden before, but that was with a wildcard, so I think, yeah, Shanghai was my first one.

I did well. As you said, I think I reached the semis and I liked it. I liked it a lot. I think the venue is very nice. Even though this is maybe a little bit nicer, you know, I think you improved, but I have only good memories from Shanghai.

Q. You had long hair at that time.

ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, I was young. (laughter.)

Q. Obviously you have a great season this year. Do you think how much that Marcus Norman helped you to improve your tennis?

ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, he happened me a lot. He used to be a great player, but he's also a very good coach, which is not the case; he doesn't have to be that way. But he's really a good coach, and he helped me a lot.

We worked a lot on many aspects of my game, and, you know, I really listen to him. I really believe in what he says, and I think it showed that it gave me some results.

Q. What do you feel made the difference today? Were you surprised also by the level of Jo going down?

ROBIN SODERLING: Well, yeah, he was playing really good in the beginning, I'd say the first five or six games, but, you know, I expected him to play well because he's a great player and he's in good form coming in from Tokyo. He won last week.

But, yeah, he maybe dropped a little bit. His level dropped a little bit after I broke him the first time. But I think even though the score was 3 and 3, I think it was a pretty close match, and I'm very happy that I played well, because I really needed to play well today.

Q. Asia is so far away from your home country, but you did so well in Asia last week in Beijing semifinal and now in Shanghai. So can we say you feel very comfortable in Asia?

ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, as I said, I like it here. It's very nice. It's far away from Sweden, but it's nice.

It's very different from Sweden, but again, it's nice. I feel very comfortable. People are friendly, you know. The old stadium was very nice. This stadium is very, very nice as well. I have no complaints at all. I like it here.

Q. Just a little fun question. I remember while you are in Heineken Open, they ask a player to try snake.

ROBIN SODERLING: What?

Q. Snake, eat snake.

ROBIN SODERLING: Oh, no. That's not for me.

Q. Maybe Norman is one of them. I'm not sure.

ROBIN SODERLING: Maybe. I will ask him. At least I know he was drinking some Heineken.

Q. My question is: Have you tried anything different or strange in Beijing and Shanghai?

ROBIN SODERLING: No. No, I'm too scared for that. (laughter.)=================Wow! I ran into some more great photos from that match I hadn't seen before:

And how the heck can this thread not have the infamous changeover picture of Robin doing his towel ritual:

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Robin Soderling Tour Plans To Make London World Tour FinalsPublished: October 21, 2009, 19:57. (Translated from Swedish)Robin Soderling of Sweden reacts, during the Stockholm Open tennis quarter final against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain in Stockholm, Sweden, Friday, Oct. 23, 2009. Soderling won the match 7-6, 6-4.

Last night Robin Soderling filled the royal hall to last place. No one was disappointed. After a pleasant day at work, Robin took another small step towards Masters Cup.

The dramatic view is more interesting than Robin's game against qualifier Giovenni Lapentti (6-3, 6-0) who took only seven points off or Robin's serve.

"The first match of the tournament is still always a bit difficult," said Soderling.

If he manages to meet the expectations of becoming the Stockholm Open's first native winner since Thomas Johansson 2004, 25-year-old Robin will gain 135 points (after factoring in the best of 18 matches for past year).

Nine players fighting for two remaining spots, but it would be surprising if anyone outside the quintet Davydenko, Verdasco, Soderling, Gonzales and Tsonga (see list) would be successful in playing into a ticket to the finals in London.

Soderling and Davydenko are the only playoff candidates who are competing this week, but the Swede is the only one able to increase his overall points of harvest. Players are allowed to retain their two best results in 250 tournaments and Davydenko who has two titles (Umag and Kuala Lumpur) in this context has nothing but honor and a huge amount of startup money to play in Moscow.

Jo Wilfried Tsonga is the one in the quintet who will play next week when the season's final three 250-tournaments will be settled in Vienna, St. Petersburg and Lyon. But like the Davydenko case, it is his home (Lyon), which attracts the Frenchman because he was already at an early stage of the season, meaning he had two 250 titles.

Robin Soderling has chosen not to try to defend his title in Lyon last year so he can take some needed rest for the ATP 500 tournament in Valencia, where even Verdasco plays. At the same time, there is an ATP 500 tournament in Basel where the home favorite and long-finals victor Roger Federer makes a comeback after the break, he has held since the U.S. Open.

Everything indicates that the playoff battle gets its resolution in the season's ninth and final Master 1000 tournament which is played in Paris and in which all injury-free top players are having.

Recent Swedish to qualify for a playoff was South Lings coach Magnus Norman (2000) and for the Tibro Son, a playoff spot would be icing on the cake after a fantastic season.

"But I do not have an eye on my own or others' points but focus on one game at a time," says Robin.

« Last Edit: October 23, 2009, 03:54:07 PM by Soderking »

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Robin Soderling continued to celebrate his newly acquired Top 10 status by reaching the semi-finals of the If Stockholm Open with a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez Friday at the ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tennis tournament in the Swedish capital.

Soderling, who is the 17th Swede in ATP history (since 1973) to rank inside the Top 10 of the South African Airways ATP Rankings, was tested by Garcia-Lopez but broke serve three times to seal victory in one hour and 43 minutes. The Tibro native is closing on a third final appearance in Stockholm, following runner-up finishes in 2003 (l. to Fish) and ’08 (l. to Nalbandian).

The 25-year-old Soderling is just one win away from making up ground in the Battle for London as he looks to close the gap on his rivals to secure one of the two remaining berths at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The right-hander is counting 115 points from an ATP Challenger Tour title as his second-best performance outside Grand Slam, Masters 1000 and 500 events and would add 35 points to his tally by reaching his third final in Stockholm. Should he win the title, he would add 135 points, positioning him within 65 points of eighth-placed Fernando Verdasco in the year-to-date South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings.

On The Bubble: Battle For London Finals

Soderling has earned his ninth place in the year-to-date rankings courtesy of a stellar season that has seen him reach the quarter-finals or better in 10 tour-level events this season. He reached his first major final at Roland Garros (l. to Federer) and won his first ATP World Tour title on home soil at the Catella Swedish Open (d. Monaco) in Bastad.

In the semi-finals Soderling will face Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, who recovered from a break down in the second set to defeat fellow former Australian Open finalist Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-4. Soderling leads their head-to-head series 3-2, but Baghdatis won their most recent clash in four sets in the second round of the 2009 Australian Open.

“He played really well, he’s a lot better than his ranking shows,” Soderling said of the 49th-ranked Garcia-Lopez.

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This is a really anti-climatic day with Robin withdrawing from his Semi-Final due to the injured elbow again. For fun, I thought I would post some Jenni and Robin pictures off Twitter for a lighter side today. First up are some Jenni pictures and the accompanying tweets showing her traveling to see matches, and studying for her bar exam at same time. Must be an exhausting year for her!

I got a cute present from one of Robins fans, mine's the pink one :-) Tomorrow we continue our journey to Shangahi. The reason I use twitpic all the time is bc the Chinese gov has blocked Twitter..but I found a loophole!! :-)

Red eye to Beijing. Yes, I am really really tired.

studying in the royal library. just as boring as it looks.

Good day so far. Robin won his match and when I came back to the hotel there was a package waiting for me!!! :-) just like x-mas.

back from dinner at Tao. Good food but even better company. night every1

Robin has a new best friend called Mr. MacBook. I wish I was him sometimes, getting to sit in R's lap...all the time! ;-)

snacking at Snaks in Saks

crazy roller coasters & drop towers...I was scared to death! How come I was so much cooler when I was 8?!! (Kings Island; Mason, OH)

heading downtown. Sofie's waiting. toodles

R is not here...so instead of dinner & candy I'm out for a run. The only pro of having a missing bf.

« Last Edit: October 24, 2009, 03:38:14 PM by Soderking »

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"Robin has a new best friend called Mr. MacBook. I wish I was him sometimes, getting to sit in R's lap...all the time!".. Awww. Jenni is sooo in luv with Robin.. Actually, the doctors advise that from a health perspective, the last place a laptop must be, is on the lap of the user. So, sitting it on a table is also goodie good..

"Robin has a new best friend called Mr. MacBook. I wish I was him sometimes, getting to sit in R's lap...all the time!".. Awww. Jenni is sooo in luv with Robin.. Actually, the doctors advise that from a health perspective, the last place a laptop must be, is on the lap of the user. So, sitting it on a table is also goodie good..

Jenni sounds grumpy lately in her tweets. "All work and no play" kinds of stuff. She must be close to taking her bar exam.

Yea, that is actually an older picture (I wish they would list the dates on those picture pages), I think from after the French Open.

Speaking of injuries........more bad news and this might be the worst news of all. Robin will either not play Valencia and Paris, or he will play it injured. I think it is about time to dream for next year. I'll reprint the article posted in MTF. This may be about it for updating the thread for awhile.

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Injury stops Soderling(If you want an odd laugh, check out the Google Translation of this page from Swedish to English: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eurosport.se%2Ftennis%2Fstockholm-open%2F2009%2Fskadan-stoppar-soderling_sto2102032%2Fstory.shtml&sl=sv&tl=en&history_state0=Somehow, Google translates several negative words into curse words and the Title and first quote are hilarious, and I'm sure Robin really didn't say anything like that for the article. The Title translates to "Injury Stops Soderling: Make Da**n Evil". The second sentence of the article literally in the translation reads ""It's a strain, but it does fu**king hurt," said Soderling at an extraordinary press conference afterwards." ) Anyway, a reasonable translation follows:Robin Soderling talks to Journalists after announcing his withdrawal of the semi final due to an injury on his right arm in Stockholm on October 24, 2009, during the Stockholm Tennis Open. Belgium's Olivier Rochus will play the final against Cyprus' Marcos Baghdatis.Robin Soderling forfeited in the semifinals of the Stockholm Open. The reason Söderling pulled out is the injury that has been bothering him since earlier this year which forced him to take a brief spell off the court during the American HC swing. As Söderling received treatment to his elbow in his QF match he realised that it would be a tall task to play the SF.

"I thought "If I don't hold my serve now I'll give up" as I was serving for the match. I've come very close to giving up in matches in Asia as well. The pain has been tough to cope with."

Söderling says that he has been bothered by the injury ever since Båstad, but has never given himself enough time to mend.

"In order for it to fully heal I'd need about two or three weeks of good rest. With only a week I might be able to play again, but in order to be at a 100 % I need more time."

The injury comes as a result of a tough and tightly packed schedule with many matches.

Looking at the situation where so many players recently has pulled out of tournaments due to injuries Söderling says:

"The schedule needs to be rearranged. You have to play this and you have to play that, and if you don't you'll be punished. They want everyone to play, but it just doesn't work. If I don't go to Valencia I'll receive a zero-pointer which I'll have to live with for a whole year."

"Noone is able to play. Everyone wants to, but noone can."

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Soderking, Nole, Del Pony, Rafa and a Rejuvenated Nalby for the Love of Tennis...

"The schedule needs to be rearranged. You have to play this and you have to play that, and if you don't you'll be punished. They want everyone to play, but it just doesn't work. If I don't go to Valencia I'll receive a zero-pointer which I'll have to live with for a whole year."

"Noone is able to play. Everyone wants to, but noone can."

"I haven't withdrawn from any tournaments so far," Soderling said. "I'll just wait and see and have more medical examinations."

"I've been struggling with this injury for three months, really," Soderling told Swedish television station SVT.

"Sometimes it's been better, sometimes worse. This week it hasn't been good at all and I've really had to fight my way through the matches. Yesterday (against Garcia-Lopez) it was really, really bad and it was not any better this morning."

Robin Soderling talks to Journalists after announcing his withdrawal of the semi final due to an injury at his right arm in Stockholm, October 24th, 2009 during the Stockholm Tennis Open. Belgium's Olivier Rochus will play the final against Cyprus' Marcos Baghdatis.

So Robin thows in his stance on the schedule on the sides of Rafa, Lleyton, Marat and Andy and his future tournaments are in doubt. I think they should shorten the season, make less "mandatory" events, and revert to the more evenly distributed points system that doesn't force players like Robin on the cusp of the Top 10 to burn themselves out to make up for all the extra points and bonuses players in the Top 10 get such as never having to play a first round match and getting huge points at the end of the year to pad their positions for the next one.

I hope Rafa, Andy and Robin start influencing the ATP on this matter, although it appears nothing can be done until 2011. This news just plain sucks!

« Last Edit: October 25, 2009, 06:03:36 AM by Soderking »

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Soderking, Nole, Del Pony, Rafa and a Rejuvenated Nalby for the Love of Tennis...